“I never thought…” He shook his head. “After I lost my first mate and daughter, I believed that part of my life was finished. When I found you, when you agreed to stay with me, I thought that was more than I deserved. But this—” His hand moved to her stomach, pressing gently against the place where their baby grew. “This is beyond anything I imagined possible.”
Relief flooded through her so powerfully her knees went weak. “You’re happy?”
“Happy does not begin to describe what I feel.” He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her mouth. “Grateful. Awed. Terrified.”
“Yeah, the terrified part is definitely relatable.”
“You are certain? About keeping the child?”
“Completely certain. I want this baby, Selik. I want our family.” She covered his hand with hers. “But I also want to make sure you’re okay with it. This is happening fast, and I know it changes everything.”
“It changes nothing.” He corrected himself. “It changes everything, but nothing that matters. We are still together. We are still building a life. This simply adds to that life.”
“That’s very zen of you.”
“I do not know what ‘zen’ means, but I will accept it as a compliment.” He pulled her down to sit on the deck, keeping her tucked against his side. “Tell me everything. What did the doctor say? Are you well? Do you need anything?”
She filled him in on the appointment, the timeline, the projected complications and care requirements. He listened intently, asking questions about nutrition and prenatal vitamins and whether there were specific environmental factors they needed to consider.
“Dr. Kelos gave me all this information,” she said, gesturing vaguely toward the house where she’d left the data pad. “We can go through it together.”
“Tomorrow. Tonight I simply want to hold you and marvel at this miracle.” His tail wrapped around her waist, warm and secure. “A child. Our child.”
They sat in silence for a while, watching the moons rise over the water. She felt the tension she’d been carrying all day finally ease. This was going to be okay. More than okay.
They were going to have a baby.
“I told Anya first,” she said quietly. “I hope that’s all right. I wanted to make sure she was okay with it before we made any announcements.”
“How did she react?”
“Better than I expected. She was… supportive. Weirdly mature about the whole thing.”
“She is growing up.” He sounded both proud and melancholy. “Soon she will not need us anymore.”
“She’ll always need us. Just in different ways.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “And speaking of needing us, we should probably figure out the sleeping arrangements. The house only has two bedrooms.”
“We will build an addition. There is space on the north side for more rooms.”
“Just like that? You’ll build an addition?”
“I built you a crib from scrap parts. I can build a room from proper materials.” He kissed the top of her head. “Whatever you need, s’kara. Whatever our child needs. I will provide it.”
The certainty in his voice made her throat tight. This was what she’d been missing with David—this sense of being truly partnered, of having someone who would move mountains to give her what she needed. Not that David had been a bad husband. He’d been kind and respectful and they’d been happy in their way. But Selik was her mate, in ways that went beyond marriage or legal bonds. He was hers and she was his and together they were creating something beautiful and terrifying and entirely theirs.
“I love you,” she whispered. “I know we haven’t said it much, but I do. I love you.”
His arms tightened around her. “And I love you. More than I have words to express in any language.”
They stayed on the deck until the chill drove them inside. Anya had settled Mikoz in his crib and retreated to her room, giving them privacy. The house was quiet except for the soft sound of the toddler’s breathing.
Selik followed Corinne to their bedroom and helped her out of her clothes with gentle reverence. His hands skimmed over her body, pausing at her stomach.
“There is no sign yet,” he said softly. “No physical change.”
“It’s still early. Another month and I’ll start showing.”
“I look forward to it.” He kissed her stomach, his lips warm against her skin. “Hello, little one. I am your father and I already love you more than I can say.”
